Mop with open scrim headband

ABSTRACT

A mop having an open scrim headband which allows penetration of the teeth of a mop holder into the headband for securely fastening the mop to a mop handle. The open scrim headband is desirably made out of a highly wear-resistant material such as nylon which is also sufficiently abrasive that it may be used to remove scuff marks and the like from surfaces being mopped. In one form of the mop, the headband is desirably folded intermediate its length and secured in such folded condition by stitching the ends of the headband together.

nie States Moss [ MOP WITH OPEN SCRHM HEADBAND [76] Inventor: Theron V. Moss, 3175 Falmouth Rd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122 [22] Filed: Dec. 22, 11971 [21] Appl. No.: 210,747

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 129,504, March 30,

1971, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 15/229 A, 15/118 [51] Int. Cl. A471 13/12, A471 13/20 [58] Field oISearchn 15/115, 116 R, 119 R, 120 R, 15/147 R, 147 A, 147 C, 150, 228, 229 R,

229 A, 229 AC, 229 AP, 229 B, 229 BC, 229

1,304,094 5/1919 Quimby 15/229 AC X 3,324,497 6/1967 Moss 15/229 A 1,644,799 10/1927 Toplitz 15/150 2,318,094 5/1943 Petzold et al. 15/229 A X 1,576,777 3/1926 Moore 1 15/229 A 3,514,802 6/1970 Keech 15/118 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Donnelly, Maky, Renner & Otto [57] ABSTRACT A mop having an open scrim headband which allows penetration of the teeth of a mop holder into the headband for securely fastening the mop to a mop handle. The open scrim headband is desirably made 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PMENTEW 3.795.93d

SHEET 1 BF 2 INVENTOR.

THERO/V l M055 ATTORNEYS 1 MOP WITH OPEN SCRIM HEADBAND CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 129,504;,fi1ed Mar.

This invention relates generally as indicated to a mop with open scrim headband which greatly facilitates clamping of the headband between the jaws of an attachment device used to secure the mop' to a mop handle.

A common form of wet mop has a fabric headband which holds the mop cords or yarns together in folded orbunched relationship intermediate their length. If the headband is relatively short, the mop may readily be attached to a handle by inserting the entire headband between the jaws of a suitable attachment device. However, if the headband is relatively long and stiff for increased stability, it is much more difficult to clamp using such an attachment device. The headband must first be folded intermediate its length and inserted between the jaws before the jaws are tightened, and the more stiff the headband, the more difficult it is to hold. Moreover, as the jaws are tightened against the headband, the headband tends to be squeezed outwardly from between the jaws. Even after clamping, the headband may become disengaged from the jaws during use, especially if the mop is swung too vigorously.

' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION- With the foregoing in mind, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a mop with open scrim headband which permits the teeth on the jaws of an attachment device to penetrate the headband for maintaining a secure connection therebetween.

'Another object is to provide such'a mop with open scrim headband which is extremely wear-resistant for long life and has an abrasive action when rubbed against the floor or other surface marks and the like.

Still another object is to provide a mop with a folded headband which prevents the mop cords from being pulled through the headband and aids in preventing tangling of the mop cords.

Yet another object is to provide such a mop which is relatively simple in construction and easy to manufacture.

These and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by making the headband for the mop out of an open scrim material having openings therein. Such openings are desirably of a size for receipt of the teeth on the jaws of an attachment device such as shown and described in U.S. application Ser. No. 744,851, filed July 15, 1968, now abandoned in favor of U.S. application Ser. No. 875,517, filed Nov. 10, 1969, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,161, granted Sept. 20, 1971. The open scrim material may be made of a highly wear-resistant material such as nylon for long life which is also sufficiently abrasive to permit use in removing scuff marks and other hard-to-remove dirt marks from the surface being mopped. The open scrim material also permits the headband and yarn material therebeneath to be washed out cleanly and dried quickly befor removing scuff cause of the openings in the scrim material, making the scrim material suitable for both short and longheadbands.

In one form of the mop, the headband is desirably folded intermediate its ends and secured in such folded condition by stitching the folded headband together adjacent the ends of the headband. With the headband retained in such folded condition, pull out of the mop cords is prevented because of the sharp angle at the folded portion of the headband, and there is also less wear and tangling of the mop cords during laundering.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative,

however, of but several of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawings there is illustrated a preferred form of mop l constructed in accordance with this invention attached to a mop handle 2 using a suitable attachment device 3 desirably of the type shown and described in U.S. application Ser. No. 744,851, filed July 15, 1968, now abandoned, and U.S. application Ser. No. 875,517, filed Nov. 10, 1969 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,161, granted Sept. 20, 1971, both of which are incorporated herein by way of reference. The mop cords 4 are secured together in bunched relationship intermediate their ends 5 by an open scrim headband 6 wrapped around the cords 4 and secured thereto in a manner to be more fully described hereafter.

If the headband 6 is relatively long, the headband must be folded intermediate its length as shown for insertion between the jaws 7 of the attachment device 3 when spread apart. Afterwards, the jaws 7 are drawn into clamping engagement with the headband 6 by tightening the collar 8 which has threaded engagement with one of the clamping jaws 7 and cams the other clamping jaw toward the first jaw as fully described in the aforementioned U. S. Pat. No. 3,605,161. During movement of the jaws 7 toward each other, the plural spaced apart teeth 9 on the jaws penetrate the openings 10 in the open scrim headband as shown preventing inadvertent or accidental removal of the'mop 1 from b tween the clamping jaws even during vigorous use of the mop.

The openings 10 in the headband 6 may be of any desired shape, and the size of the openings may also vary but must be large enough to receive at least a portion of the teeth 9 on the clamping jaws 7. In the preferred form shown, the openings are of a generally rectangular or square shape having a minimum dimension of approximately one-sixteenth to one-eighth inch.

The open scrim headband is also preferably made of a highly wear-resistant material such as nylon which is also desirably sufficiently abrasive to permit the headband to be used for removing scufi marks and other hard-to-remove dirt marks from the floor or other surface being cleaned. While a nylon scrim material is preferred, it will be apparent that other materials may also be used for the scrim material, including polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, and rayon. The use of open scrim material for the headband also has the advantage that it allows the headband and mop cords therebeneath to be washed out cleanly and dried quickly due to the openings therein, regardless of whether the headband is relatively short or long.

To form the headband 6, a strip of open scrim material of the desired width and length is tightly wrapped around the mop cords 4 intermediate their ends and stitched or otherwise secured thereto at suitable spaced apart intervals 11, 12 and 13 across the width of the headband. A nylon or cotton tape 14 may also be wrapped around the ends of the headband 6 and stitched thereto using suitable stitching 16 running through the tape and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween. A tailband 17 may also be secured to the mop cords 4 adjacent the ends of the loops as shown in FIG. 1 for maintaining the loops in controlled pattern as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,324,497, or the loops may be left free, as desired, and the loops may also be cut.

The headband 6' may also be folded intermediate its length and the ends stitched together to secure the headband 6 in folded condition as shown in FIG. 3. The operator may also back stitch at the sides to prevent pull out of the end stitching l8. Securing the ends 15' of the headband 6' together eliminates the necessity of the user of the mop having to fold the headband prior to insertion between the jaws 7 of the attachment device 3 as in FIG. 1. The stitching 18 also maintains the ends 15 of the headband 6 in tight engagement with each other thus causing the headband to bulge somewhat intermediate its ends which resists pull out of the mop 1' during vigorous use when the ends of the headband are clamped between the jaws of a suitable attachment device.

Maintaining the headband 6' in folded condition also aids in preventing any loose mop cords 4' from being pulled through the headband because of the sharp angle which is provided by the center fold 19 of the headband. If any of the mop cords are pulled through as oftentimes happens in a conventional mop, slack develops at one end of the mop and the cords bunch up at the other end. The slack in the cords permits the end loops 5' of the mop to fly into the loose cords and become tangled. Also during laundering the mop 1' is subjected to substantially less wear and tangling if the headband 6 is maintained in folded condition since the amount of swishing of the ends of the mop is reduced by about one half.

The stitching 18 which maintains the headband 6 in such folded condition is desirably limited to the region closely adjacent the ends of the headband to obtain the desired bulging of the headband near the center fold l9 and provide sufficient room between the stitched ends 15' and center fold 19 for insertion of a rod type handle therebetween as desired.

Although the headband 6' for the mop 1 of FIG. 3 is desirably made of an open scrim material for the reasons previously stated, it will be apparent that other suitable headband materials could be used while stil obtaining certain of the benefits of the subject invention.

From the foregoing, it will now be apparent that a mop constructed in accordance with this invention may be tightly secured to a mop handle using a suitable attachment device, and making the headband of an open scrim material also provides an effective means for use in the removal of scuff marks and the like from surfaces.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A mop comprising a plurality of mop cords, and a headband securing said mop cords together in bunched relation intermediate their ends, said headband being made of an open scrim material having openings therein of a size for receipt of at least a portion of the teeth on the jaws of a clamping device for securely attaching the mop to a mop handle, said open scrim material being in the form of a strip wrapped about the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords, said last-mentioned means comprising stitching extending across said head-band at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof, and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof.

2. The mop of claim 1 wherein said headband is subsequently folded intermediate the ends thereof, and means are provided for securing said headband in such folded condition comprising stitching extending through said folded headband only adjacent the ends thereof thereby causing said headband to bulge near the center fold of said headband.

3. A mop comprising a plurality of mop cords, and a headband securing said mop cords together in bunched relation intermediate their ends, said headband being made of an open scrim material in the form of a strip wrapped about the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords, said last-mentioned means comprising stitching extending across said headband at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof, and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof.

4. The mop of claim 3 wherein said headband is subsequently folded intermediate the ends thereof, and means are provided for securing said headband in such folded condition comprising stitching extending through said folded headband only adjacent the ends thereof thereby causing said headband to bulge near the center fold of said headband.

5. The mop of claim 3 wherein said scrim material is of a high wear-resistant nylon material for long life and sufficiently abrasive to permit use in removing scuff marks and the like from surfaces being mopped.

'thereon for engagement with said headband, and

means for urging said jaws into tight clamping engagement with said headband, said headband being made of an open scrim material having openings therein of a size which receive at least a portion of said teeth on said jaws for securely fastening said mop to said mop handle, said open scrim material being in the form of a strip wrapped around the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords comprising stitching extending across said headband at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof. 

1. A mop comprising a plurality of mop cords, and a headband securing said mop cords together in bunched relation intermediate their ends, said headband being made of an open scrim material having openings therein of a size for receipt of at least a portion of the teeth on the jaws of a clamping device for securely attaching the mop to a mop handle, said open scrim material being in the form of a strip wrapped about the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords, said last-mentioned means comprising stitching extending across said head-band at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof, and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof.
 2. The mop of claim 1 wherein said headband is subsequently folded intermediate the ends thereof, and means are provided for securing said headband in such folded condition comprising stitching extending through said folded headband only adjacent the ends thereof thereby causing said headband to bulge near the center fold of said headband.
 3. A mop comprising a plurality of mop cords, and a headband securing said mop cords together in bunched relation intermediate their ends, said headband being made of an open scrim material in the form of a strip wrapped about the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords, said last-mentioned means comprising stitching extending across said headband at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof, and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof.
 4. The mop of claim 3 wherein said headband is subsequently folded intermediate the ends thereof, and means are provided for securing said headband in such folded condition comprising stitching extending through said folded headband only adjacent the ends thereof thereby causing said headband to bulge near the center fold of said headband.
 5. The mop of claim 3 wherein said scrim material is of a high wear-resistant nylon material for long life and sufficiently abrasive to permit use in removing scuff marks and the like from surfaces being mopped.
 6. In combination, a mop and an attachment device for securing said mop to a mop handle, said mop comprising a plurality of mop cords, and a headband securing said mop cords together in bunched relation intermediate their ends, said attachment device comprising a pair of jaws movable toward and away from each other for clamping said headband therebetween, said headband being folded intermediate its length and inserted between said jaws, said jaws having plural teeth thereon for engagement with said headband, and means for urging said jaws into tight clamping engagement with said headband, said headband being made of an open scrim material having openings therein of a size which receive at least a portion of said teeth on said jaws for securely fastening said mop to said mop handle, said open scrim material being in the form of a strip wrapped around the mop cords, and means for securing said strip to said mop cords comprising stitching extending across said headband at spaced apart intervals along the length thereof and individual tapes separately wrapped completely around opposite ends of said headband and stitching running through said tapes and open scrim material and mop cords therebetween at said opposite ends of said headband across the width thereof. 